The West Coast "cool jazz" ensemble Octobop is one of the featured jazz groups performing at the debut of the Left Coast Live music festival, a five-day musical showcase that features 60 different bands performing at 30 venues throughout downtown San Jose.
The Left Coast Live festival runs from May 10-15, and also features a full slate of panels, interviews and workshops centered on the music industry. The event culminates on Friday evening with a live concert event that will showcase over 60 bands on 30 stages in and around the city’s downtown core. Headliners from the jazz world also include Marcus Shelby, jazz guitarist Terrence Brewer, and Grammy-winner Ernie Watts with the West Valley Jazz Orchestra.
Other jazz bands slated to perform: the eight-piece horn-driven ensemble Bug Horn Rex, the hip-hop/jazz outfit Kev Choice Ensemble, and the jazz-meets-pop Lee Pardini Trio.
(For a complete list of performers and venues, visit the Left Coast Live website)
Left Coast Live is expected to attract more than 10,000 music lovers, performers and professionals to the festival over the course of five days.
The festival embraces music in all forms and all genres, and showcases local, regional and national talent. Free preview concerts will be held in venues ranging from Gordon Biersch, Hotel De Anza and local art galleries including the Institute of Contemporary Art.
Monday through Thursday events are free and open to the public. The Friday night all access ticket is $25 with advance purchase and $30 at the door.
The impetus behind the Left Coast Live stems from an ad hoc group of musicians, entrepreneurs, city leaders and business people with a shared vision of San Jose as the perfect destination for live performances and a vibrant music scene. Giant Creative Services, well known for producing cultural events for economic and community benefit, is the event producer.
Because Left Coast Live is an event designed with and for downtown businesses, it promises to boost the local economy. Geoff Roach, CEO of San Jose Jazz, jazz trombonist with Octobop and a key organizer of Left Coast Live, noted that this kind of event is "instrumental" in boosting downtown’s economic recovery.
(Roach is also leading a Wednesday panel discussion themed "Can San Jose establish a beachhead for jazz relevancy in the new century?" at the De Anza Hotel.)
Event sponsors include 1stACT Silicon Valley, Metro Newspapers, Alice 97.3, Live 105, KFOX, Channel 104.9 and Mix 106.5. Left Coast Live is produced in conjunction with the City of San José, the San José Redevelopment Agency and San Jose Downtown Association.
For more information and a detailed schedule of events, visit www.leftcoastlive.com.
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